Prof.
Deshpande was a distinguished
Professor of Chemistry at Holkar, Indore, and at Agra College, Agra amongst
other posts. This book was an important, but probably little known book on
stereochemical aspects of terpenoid components in its time, published after his
death. The manuscript was checked over prior to publication by Prof. Sir Derek
Barton – and if you don’t know who he is, gentle reader, you ain’t never
studied chemistry!
Nowadays,
we have more modern techniques such as IR and NMR to confirm molecular
structural details, but this book illustrates the detective work which could be
employed using optical rotation, x-ray diffraction, circular dichroism to
establish such structural information. Part two deals in logical sequence with
acyclic, monocyclic and bicyclic terpenes, and bicyclic sesquiterpenes
with other carbon frames, and finally tricyclic sesquiterpenoids. It is not a
comprehensive review of terpenoids, rather focusses on those components found
especially in Indian essential oils, such as Khusinol, Costol, Jatamansone, the
Santalenes, Patchouli alcohol etc.
It
is very satisfying to be able to trace the thread of scientific logic and
achievement through these pages, but as far as the layman is concerned, it is
imagined that the technical language and concepts would probably defeat the
reader. Nevertheless the posthumous book is a tribute to a great investigator
and scientist
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© 2001 by Tony Burfield
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